Introduction (Story about trying to understand what Christianity is all about when he was in high school and how my father warned me to not ask too many questions or it might cause me to stray from my faith).....He meant be careful that you don’t ask too many questions because you will begin to doubt and if you begin to doubt you will eventually lose your faith. In my head I was thinking, if my faith can’t hold up to questions it must not be true. My dad was trying to protect my faith, I was trying to find out if it was worth protecting.

For some of you here today my story may resonate with you. Good people have tried to protect you from any type of doubt. They have told you to be careful and to keep you eyes on Jesus. To which you might have replied in your head or with your lips if you were daring, which Jesus? the one who compared a women to a dog or the one who loves children and died on the cross.

I begin this year with a series of messages, “Challenge Yourself to Change.” Change is difficult because that means becoming something we have never been. There is always room to grow in our faith. I challenge you to change. Contentment is good and desirable, yet there is always room to grow in our understanding of God and our how we practice living out our faith. Years ago in the days of S.F. I wrote a devotional which I have never forgotten: Always content but never satisfied. As long as we are on this earth, this side of heaven, contentment is the goal, accepting who we are in Christ, yet asking the Lord to constantly mold us and shape us. Challenge yourself to Change! You cannot change by digging in your heels. You need the Lord. You need to hear from God. How do you hear from the Lord? Here’s one way: He can send a bolt of lighting to get your attention, make a donkey talk, do the amazing ... I think a lot of people want God to stay in their back pocket until something bad happens, then they pull him out to do something dramatic to bale them out of the tough situation. One of my professors in school described how some people use the Bible like a magic lamp in which something bad happens so we pull out our bibles and we rub and rub and rub hoping a genie will pop out and then our wishes will be magically granted and all will be well. God does do amazing things, it is part of the Christian life, but the miracles are not meant to be magic bullets that give us a license to continue making bone-headed decisions.

[Play recording of my son crying.]My second son was born 5 months ago and this was the first thing he told me. I have had many opinions about the cry of a child throughout my life. Annoying, loud, disruptive, sleep depriving, deafening, non-stop…annoying (it’s worth mentioning twice). The cries of my very own child are different though. Not many events will stay with me as vividly as my child’s birthday. That first cry is the most beautiful noise I could ever hear, sweeter than my wives voice, more demanding than the due dates of school. God has given this helpless, needy, crying baby so much power over me.

“hmmm can't seem to clean the house I start in one corner move everything and when I turn around there it is again! Cleaning house is way over rated! If it wasn't so messy I would have someone do it for me. :-)" -- Amy Dunlap, Facebook posting

Your home, a place like no other. Your personal life is centered in your home. You are selective about who you let into your home. Best friends see who you really are. Family is constant, fighting, loving, learning, resting. Home is where memories are built, people are most themselves. There are different styles, I think of my home as the place to enjoy my family, an oasis from the stress of life, a refuge to rest. I look in at other homes, and I admire the good folks who open up their home to foster children, for example. Margarette and Al Guthrie’s daughter, Cami and her husband Steve, are amazing as she manages to enjoy a pack of kids living with her constantly, it’s her home. When it’s your home you make the rules: Sally and I tried to have a safe home for all the neighborhood kids when our children were younger, so that if a kid got rude or overly aggressive we’d send him on his way telling him to try again tomorrow. A home is a sanctuary.

Fear is an ordinary part of life, though it may not feel all that ordinary when we experience it. We are born afraid and some of us will die afraid. In modern America we do as much as we can to stem that feeling of fear. We save up money in bank accounts and even stash it under mattresses. We purchase gold instead of stocks for fear of the market crashing. Many fear where their next meal is coming from or where they will stay the night. The most common fear people have spans cultures and time and the strange thing is everyone will experience it. Death. Often times when someone is told they have cancer they change their diet, read new books, and research everything they can about the disease. If you have not experienced fear allow me to share; think of the worst thing that could happen to someone you love. Now you have experienced fear.

Two important questions to consider in today’s message:What do you think of yourself?The more important question: What does God think of you? In our human nature, we make the first question the most important question, the only question, what do I think of myself.But in truth, what matters most is what God thinks of me.We have to wade through the first question, because confronting our own nature is part of letting go and letting God…but we need to get to the second.What do you think of yourself… listen to a A video of a wonderful song byPeter, Paul and Mary Song, “Right Field.”The reason this song is so fun is because so many of us can identify…. (Video)

Carl Crouse, Pastor

At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living. I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights.

In general, the previous Sunday's sermon will be posted by Tuesday afternoon.